We occasionally get animals suffering from partial or full paralysis. Generally this is a result of spinal trauma, and is irreversible. The rule of thumb for dealing with serious nerve damage is that it has to be operated on and fixed within 72 hours of the injury, or the animal will never recover.

Instead of euthanizing him however, we decided to give treatment a shot. Sometimes nerve damage can result from inflammation pressing on the nerves and constricting them, so we decided to give anti-inflammatory medication and see whether we could accomplish anything.

This regimen worked wonderfully, and the squirrel made a full recovery. He was released just this week, and was climbing into a tree just seconds after being let go. The picture above is of him before and after treatment.